The security field encompasses not only personalized documents such as passports, driving licenses, identity cards (ID cards) and admission documents such as visa's and entry tickets, but also the authentification and identification of goods to avoid counterfeiting, tampering and fraud such as lottery tickets, share certificates, transaction documents, labels on luggage and the packaging of pharmaceuticals and high value products in general.
The term “identity card” encompasses cards requiring bearer identification and range from national identity cards to establish the national identity of their civilians to cards involved in the electronic transfer of money such as bank cards, pay cards, credit cards and shopping cards to security cards authorizing access to the bearer of the card to particular areas such as a company (employee ID card), the military, a public service, the safe deposit departments of banks, etc. to social security cards to membership cards of clubs and societies.
ID cards usually contain information referring both to the authority issuing the card on the one hand and to the owner of the card on the other. The first type of information may be general information such as a name and/or logo of the issuing authority, or security marks, such as a watermark and security print, e.g. a repeating monochrome pattern or a gradually changing colour pattern which are difficult to counterfeit. The second type includes e.g. the unique card number, personal data such as a birth day, a photo of the owner, and a signature. The card can further contain hidden information and therefore contain a magnetic strip or an electronic chip (“smart cards”).
A large set of ID cards are usually prepared on a large web or sheet by a step and repeat process, after which the web or sheet is cut into multiple items with the appropriate dimensions each representing a personal ID card. Smart cards and ID cards now have the standardized dimensions of 85.6 mm×54.0 mm×0.76 mm.
Normally, the card is protected by a plastic sheet material for example by lamination of the card to a plastic sheet or, as is usually the case, by lamination between two plastic sheets.
In view of their widespread uses, particularly in commercial transactions such as cashing cheques, credit purchases etc., it is important that the person relying on the ID card to identify the bearer have maximum assurance that the ID card has not been altered and/or that the ID card is not a counterfeit.
The art's response to the counterfeiting problem has involved the integration of “verification features” with ID cards to evidence their authenticity. The best known of these “verification features” involve signatures such as the signature of the one authorized to issue the ID card or the signature of the bearer. Other “verification features” have included the use of watermarks, fluorescent materials, validation patterns or markings and polarizing stripes. These “verification features” are integrated into ID cards in various ways and they may be visible or invisible in the finished card. If invisible, they can be detected by viewing the feature under conditions which render it visible. Details relating to the use of “verification features” in ID cards can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,030, U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,826; U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,775, U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,998, U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,948, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,726 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,956.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,691 discloses a recording material which comprises a support having thereon a highly thermally insulating porous resin layer and a metal, dye or synthetic resin which is thermally deformed, foams, colors, discolors, sublimes, evaporates, or becomes transparent, translucent or opaque when exposed to radiation having a high energy density.
EP-A 1 362 710 discloses a method for producing a tamper proof carrier of information, said method comprising the following steps, in order: (1) providing a two-layer assemblage comprising (i) a rigid sheet or web support, and (ii) a porous opaque ink receiving layer comprising a pigment and a binder whereby either the surface of said support, or the surface of said opaque layer carries a first set of printed information, (2) printing a second set of information, different from said first set, onto said porous opaque ink receiving layer by means of ink jet printing, (3) covering totally, partially, or pattern-wise the thus obtained assemblage with a UV-curable lacquer composition, by means of coating, printing, spraying or jetting, whereby on penetration of the lacquer in said porous opaque ink receiving layer this layer becomes substantially transparent, (4) curing said lacquer composition by means of an overall UV exposure, thereby improving the adhesion between said support and said ink receiving layer, and the cohesive strength of said ink receiving layer.
EP-A 1 398 175 discloses four different embodiments of an information carrier. In the first embodiment the information carrier comprising: a rigid sheet or web support; an opaque porous receiving layer capable of being rendered substantially transparent by penetration by a lacquer, said receiving layer containing a pigment and a binder; an image provided onto and/or in said receiving layer; a cured pattern of a varnish provided onto said receiving layer provided with said image or onto and/or in said receiving layer provided with said image if said varnish is incapable of rendering said receiving layer transparent; and a cured layer of said lacquer provided on said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish, said lacquer having rendered said parts of said receiving layer in contact therewith substantially transparent, wherein said cured pattern of said varnish forms an opaque watermark. In the second embodiment the information carrier comprising: a rigid sheet or web support; an opaque porous receiving layer capable of being rendered substantially transparent by penetration by a varnish, said receiving layer containing a pigment and a binder; an image provided onto and/or in said receiving layer; a cured pattern of said varnish provided in said receiving layer provided with said image; and a cured layer of a lacquer provided onto said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish, or onto and/or in said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish if said lacquer is incapable of rendering said receiving layer transparent, said varnish having rendered said parts of said receiving layer in contact therewith substantially transparent, wherein said cured pattern of said lacquer forms a substantially transparent watermark. In the third embodiment the information carrier comprising: a rigid sheet or web support; a transparent porous receiving layer capable of being rendered substantially opaque by penetration by a lacquer, said receiving layer containing a pigment and a binder; an image provided onto and/or in said receiving layer; a cured pattern of a varnish provided onto said receiving layer provided with said image, or onto and/or in said receiving layer provided with said image if said varnish is incapable of rendering said receiving layer opaque; and a cured layer of said lacquer provided on said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish, said lacquer having rendered said parts of said receiving layer in contact therewith substantially opaque, wherein said cured pattern of said varnish forms a transparent watermark. In the fourth embodiment the information carrier comprising: a rigid sheet or web support; a transparent porous receiving layer capable of being rendered substantially opaque by penetration by a varnish, said receiving layer containing a pigment and a binder; an image provided onto and/or in said receiving layer; a cured pattern of said varnish provided in said receiving layer provided with said image; and a cured layer of a lacquer provided onto said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish, or onto and/or in said receiving layer provided with said image and said cured pattern of said varnish if said lacquer is incapable of rendering said receiving layer opaque, said varnish having rendered said parts of said receiving layer in contact therewith substantially opaque, wherein said cured pattern of said lacquer forms a substantially opaque watermark.
GB 1 073 433 discloses the method of forming an image on a porous, opaque layer comprising applying an imaging material in imagewise configuration which is of similar refractive index to the opaque layer and reducing the viscosity of said imaging material so that it flows into the pores to fill the pores of said opaque layer to render said opaque layer clear in said image areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,601 discloses an information recording kit for making transparencies for projection of information or for making photographic negatives for reproductions comprising an opaque recording material, a writing liquid for recording information on the recording material and means for applying the writing liquid on the opaque recording material in the form of transparent lines wherein said recording material comprises a transparent backing sheet and an opaque layer adhered to one surface of said backing sheet, said opaque layer comprising a finely divided particulate organic styrene resin pigment uniformly distributed throughout a polyvinylidene chloride film-forming resin binder, said writing liquid comprising a solvent for the organic styrene resin pigment, whereby when said writing liquid is applied to said opaque layer according to a pattern of information the opaque layer becomes transparent to visible light according to said pattern.
WO 81/01389A1 discloses a self-supporting microvoid-containing sheet material which is substantially insensitive to marking by the localized application of heat or pressure but which is receptive to ink, pencil, crayon or similar markings and which is adapted to being temporarily or permanently provided with markings by the application of a colorless liquid, comprising in combination: a self-supporting base sheet and, bonded over at least one side of said base sheet, a reflective opaque white to pastel layer comprising particles bonded by a binder, said particles and binder both having a refractive index in the range of 1.3 to 2.2, interconnected microvoids being present throughout said layer, characterized in that the binder:particle volume ratio being in the range of about 1:20 to 2:3, so that the particles are held in pseudo-sintered juxtaposition, the void volume of the layer being in the range of 15-70%, said binder being thermoset, and layer having an image force of at least 200 grams-force.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,211 discloses a microporous molded article having an open-cell structure and comprising a thermoplastic material which possesses an inherent latent structural convertibility and includes effective pores of a diameter in the range from about 0.002 to 10 μm, said thermoplastic material comprising at least about 70 percent by weight of a terpolymer which is composed of from about 20 to 80 percent by weight, relative to the total weight of the terpolymer, of copolymerized fluorinated olefin selected from the group consisting of ethylene and propylene, up to about 40 percent by weight, relative to the total weight of the terpolymer, of copolymerized olefin selected from the group consisting of ethylene and propylene, and from about 80 to 20 percent by weight, relative to the total weight of the copolymer, of copolymerized vinyl acetate, with at least 5 percent of the total proportion of acetate groups contained in the copolymer being converted by saponification into OH groups after copolymerization of the specified comonomers to form the terpolymer.
EP-A 0 390 638 discloses a base sheet comprising a layer capable of becoming, in reversible manner, transparent by contact with a liquid, resistant to a marking by localized application of pressure and/or heat, characterized by the fact that it comprises: at least one flexible sheet, at least one layer applied in aqueous form on the flexible sheet and then dried, said sheet being microporous, opaque, and containing at least non-thermoset particles, at least one binder and optionally other additives.
JP 10-157280A discloses a recording material capable of being printed repeatedly by ink jet printing without deteriorating its recording performance even in the case of using many times by incorporating mat or porous surface and a solvent receiving layer which becomes opaque when no solvent exists and transparent when solvent is received.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,925 discloses an authenticatible, tamper-indicating label, comprising: a normally opaque, transparentizable microporous film having first and second major surfaces, a first indicia proximate said first surface a second indicia on said first surface, and an adhesive proximate said first surface; wherein said microporous film can be changed from an opaque state to a transparent state by application of a first liquid that is not a solvent for said first and second indicia to said microporous film to thereby sufficiently fill the pores of said microporous film to cause said film to become transparent; wherein when said microporous film is in its opaque state, said first and second indicia are not visually perceptible when said label is viewed from said second surface, and when said microporous film is in its transparent state, at least said first indicia is visually perceptible when said label is viewed from said second surface, thereby providing an indication of the authenticity of said label; and wherein application of a second liquid that is a solvent for said second indicia causes at least a portion of said second indicia to migrate through said microporous film to said second major surface, thereby providing a permanent visually perceptible indication of tampering.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,993 discloses a laminate comprising a substrate having a first substrate surface containing an image thereon and a polymeric film laminated to said first substrate surface overlying said image, said film containing an exposed water activatable opaque layer having a thickness ranging from about 0.6 mil to about 2.0 mil, said opaque layer derived from a coating formulation comprising from about 5 to about 40 wt. % aluminum silicate and from about 60 to about 95 wt. % binder, wherein the binder comprises a mixture of solvent, butyl acetate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and propylene glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,383 discloses a process for producing a dry image comprising the steps of: (a) applying an opaque coating composition to the surface of a substrate to form an opaque coating on the substrate, wherein the surface is selected from the group consisting of a light-emitting surface, a reflective surface, a glossy surface, a luminescent surface, and a combination thereof; and (b) contacting the coated substrate with a recording liquid, wherein the opaque coating composition includes an opaque coating agent comprising a polymeric polyacid and a polymeric polybase, and wherein the opaque coating contacted with the recording liquid becomes transparent as a result of the contact.
WO 04/052655A1 discloses a multi-layer opaque and matte ink-jet recording medium, suitable for recording images with dye and pigmented inks, which goes through phase change from opaque to transparent and glossy in at least one printed area to reveal the surface of a substrate and thereby provide light-emitting, reflective, glossy, metallic-looking images or to show holographic images, wherein the recording medium comprises a substrate coated with at least two chemically layers comprising: (a) a first transparent ink-receptive layer comprising a polymeric binder and a cross-linker and optionally having a plasticizer and pigment particles such as alumina and silica coated over the substrate, wherein the cross-linker comprises an azetidinium polymer or a salt thereof, and/or a polyfunctional aziridine or a salt thereof, or a polyfunctional oxazoline and metallic salts; and (b) a second ink-receptive layer comprising an opaque or semi-opaque coating composition, wherein the opaque or semi-opaque coating composition is capable of accepting a printed image and thereby becoming semi-transparent or clearly transparent from application of ink-jet printing ink or similar inks, while presenting a light-emitting, reflective, glossy, metallic-looking or holographic or transparent image of high clarity and quality, wherein said first layer is located between said second layer and the substrate in said recording medium and the first and second layer are chemically coupled.
The inventions of EP-A 1 362 710 and EP-A 1 398 175 both disclose a porous opaque ink receiving layer comprising a pigment and a binder, which is capable of being transparentized with a UV-curable lacquer. There is a need to extend the security possibilities for providing additional security features to the information carriers disclosed in EP-A 1 362 710 and EP-A 1 398 175. There is also the need for the possibility of personalizing the information carrier i.e. incorporating personal details of the information card carrier e.g. an image or other identification. In particular, it has hitherto not been possible to personalize machine readable information covered by an opaque layer with a process which enables the personalization process to be carried out locally.